This is a blog about mental illness where I write about my journey towards healing. My purpose is to empower women in their personal fight in battling depression. Too many women suffer in silence and my desire is to initiate dialogue, understanding and support and to instill hope for families and individuals. Through nutrition, essential oils and my faith, I have found my way towards recovery where I manage my illness and I don't let it manage me.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

I read a quote yesterday that comforted me.

I found it in Gerald N. Lund's book called Fire of the Covenant

which is about the Willie and Martin Handcart companies

and the trials and afflictions they faced.﻿

It's by Elder Neil A. Maxwell who said,

"How could we expect to be joyous

and to receive ALL

that 'the Father hath'

if we do not strive to become like Him?

And, in fact, can we,

on our scale,

be like Him

WITHOUT sharing in the

'fellowship of his sufferings'?

He shares with us His work;

does that not suggest

the need for

our sharing, too,

some of the

suffering?

If in all of this there is some

understandable trembling,

the adrenaline of affliction

can help to ensure

that our pace

will be brisk

rather than casual.

His grace

will cover us like a cloak--

enough to provide for

survival

but too thin

to keep out ALL

the cold.

The seeming cold

is there to keep us

from drowsiness,

and gospel gladness

warms us enough

to keep going."

A little while ago I have a few good weeks in a row

and then seemingly all of sudden

I was depressed.

I was really, really, disappointed.

I had had the feeling that I was finally overcoming

the depression.

But as C.S. Lewis wrote, "Our Father [in Heaven] refreshes us on the journey [through life] with some pleasant inns, but [He] will not encourage us to mistake them for home” (C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, New York: Macmillan, 1967, p. 103.)